Jeffrey King
Jeffrey King is a fictional character from the recently relaunched soap opera, turned web series One Life to Live (OLTL). The character was introduced in 2013 and the role was originated by Disney and Broadway star, Corbin Bleu. On March 14, 2013, production company Prospect Park announced that Disney star Corbin Bleu that Bleu would be joining the cast in the newly created role. A freelance journalist, Jeffrey is a friend of Llanview residents, Matthew Buchanan and Danielle Manning whom he met when they were attending boarding school in London. The character plays a pivotal role in the show's relaunch as his arrival and introduction as the star reporter at The Banner helps to reignite the iconic long standing feud between Viki and Dorian Lord. Storylines Jeffrey first appears as a freelance journalist for The Banner hoping to get a staff position from Viki Lord (Erika Slezak) following his article about a scandal with junior senator, Dorian Lord (Robin Strasser). Jeffrey also reunites a past with Matthew Buchanan (Robert Gorrie) and Danielle Manning (Kelley Missal) when they attended boarding school in London. Anxious to help jump start Viki's failing newspaper, Jeffrey convinces her to run another article which further incriminates Dorian. Meanwhile, Matthew and Jeffrey move into their very own apartment only. Jeffrey loses the extra bedroom as his office when Dani suddenly moves in. When Viki reveals the budget is too tight for Jeffrey to become a permanent staff member, he decides to continue freelance work giving The Banner first refusal to his future articles. Jeffrey takes an interest in Destiny Evans (Laura Harrier), the mother of Matthew's child, much to Matthew's dismay. Casting and creation In January 2013, head writer Thom Racina posted photos on Facebook featuring himself and co-head writer Susie Bedsow Horgan brainstorming over a list of character names. The newly created character of Jeffrey was at the bottom of the list. A brand new character being listed among the usual One Life characters led to speculation that the name was code for an already established character. On March 14, 2013, Prospect Park sent out a press release announcing that former Disney star Corbin Bleu, known for his supporting role of Chad Danforth in the Disney musical franchise, High School Musical had been cast in the role of Jeffrey King. Several other characters emerged in audition scripts, including "Sam" and "Mick Wilder" which led to speculation that the three were the same character. Bleu later took to Facebook to express his excitement about joining the series in its next life. Bleu told Us Weekly that the producers called and offered him the role. The actor revealed in an interview with Soap Opera Digest that the executive producer, Jennifer Pepperman reached out to him personally. Bleu made his first appearance in the series premier on April 29, 2013. Reception In addition to the casting news being announced by the usual soap press, Bleu's casting garnered the attention of several pop publications including Entertainment Weekly, Access Hollywood, Perezhilton.com, Michael Ausiello's TVLine, Nikki Finke's Deadline Hollywood, and several others. The casting also made news in the Broadway world due to Bleu's recent appearances in Godspell and In the Heights. Bleu later took to Twitter where he promised to release a photo of his character's first appearance if his followers could the show's new Twitter account reach 5,000 followers, which it did. Daytime Confidential's Jillian Bowe responded to the casting news with "Prospect Park ain't playing around!" referencing the prior perception that Prospect Park did not take the task of relaunching OLTL and its sister show seriously. With such a wide variety of acting credits, from Broadway, to television and film, TVSource Magazine's Omar Nobles said Bleu "should fit in quite nicely in the world of soaps." Sara Bibel referred to Bleu as an "unexpected addition" to the cast. Bibel continued, and stated that an actor of Bleu's caliber joining the series was definitely a sign of future success. Soap Opera Network's Errol Lewis said fans would definitely be able to relate to the young adult Jeffrey's storyline in which he lands his dream job as reporter. "A character given a job that doesn't feel forced just because their portrayer is a “name” actor is refreshing" Lewis said in reference to Bleu's Jeffrey. In a review of the show's premiere episode, Jamey Giddens of Daytime Confidential referred to Bleu and his costar Robert Gorrie, who portrayed Matthew Buchanan as two of the "most promising" new comers to join the series in recent years. Thomas Montalto of Soap Opera Network noted that the Jeffrey character "fits in well" despite him being unfamiliar with Bleu's previous work. Jodie Lash of Access Hollywood said Bleu "fits in like he’s been in Llanview for years." and said Jeffrey is a "great character." Fan response has been overwhelming positive from Bleu's fans a lot of whom are new to the soaps but only tuned in to see his character, but have gotten hooked on the series. Soap Opera Digest said Bleu's Jeffrey helped round out the cast without the character feeling "forced." The character of Jeffrey was listed on Daytime Confidential's list of Shirtless Soap Hunks of May 2013 and was described as a "hot cup of mocha." References Category:Fictional reporters Category:Characters Category:One Life to Live characters Category:Fictional African-Americans Category:Main Characters Category:Fictional characters introduced in 2013